Tipsheet

Conservatives React to PA Governor's Announcement on National Voter Registration Day

Leah Barkoukis
Leah Barkoukis  |  September 20, 2023 7:00 AM

Gov. Josh Shapiro announced Tuesday that Pennsylvania became the 24th state to enact automatic voter registration.

“When running for Governor, I made a commitment to bring automatic voter registration to Pennsylvania — the birthplace of our democracy. On this National Voter Registration Day, I’m making that promise a reality,” he said on X, formerly Twitter.  

"From now on, when you get or renew your driver’s license or an ID card at the DMV, you’ll be registered to vote unless you choose not to," Shapiro said.

"And by expanding voter registration at our DMVs, we’ll save taxpayers time and money, reduce the number of costly paper registrations and streamline voter registration for Pennsylvanians," he added. 

Shapiro called the move “common sense.”

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“You already provide proof of identity, residency, age and citizenship at the DMV — all the information you need to register to vote,” Shapiro said.

In addition to Pennsylvania, automatic voter registration is used Oregon, Minnesota, Alaska, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Nevada, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, Washington and West Virginia.

Many conservatives, like Judicial Watch's Tom Fitton, called automatic voter registration "legally dubious" and argued it would be easier for those who are ineligible to "vote illegally." Others looked on the bright side.